


Credam, Dabo, Sperabo

by Dawn on ICE (Dawn_Blossom)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fire Emblem Awakening AU, M/M, SETTING A FLEET OF SHIPS ON FIRE, Validar Gangrel Grima Tiki & Naga because I couldn't think of counterparts for them, a tragic time travel plotline that will surprise nobody by now, also there are a few fe characters in here, and magical medieval weaponry, and so much more! - Freeform, dragons: evil divine and otherwise, fantasy politics that make even less sense than real politics, feat all your favorite fire emblem tropes like:, follows the game's plot VERY closely, in other words... Yuri!!! on Fire (Emblem), look... you can't tell me that victor wouldn't make a really good chrom, magic and medieval weaponry, technically almost every character shows up eventually, victor is the tactician... yikes, well I say it's a fe13 au... really it's more like a chrobin au, wind magic is so 4 years ago let's make them do ice magic instead, yuuri is a mage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-04 06:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10270433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Blossom/pseuds/Dawn%20on%20ICE
Summary: “Are you alright?” the beautiful man with beautiful eyes asks gently.“Uh, yes,” he replies. “Thank you, Victor.”“Ah, so youhaveheard of me!” Victor says cheerfully.“Uh… no…” he responds sheepishly. “I actually have no idea who you are. The name just popped into my head.”(Fire Emblem: Awakening AU where Victor is the Prince of Ylisse and Yuuri is the amnesiac he finds lying on the ground.)





	1. Premonition: Invisible Ties

**Author's Note:**

> *finishes one fanfic* Wow, I can finally rest! *immediately starts a new one*
> 
> Okay, well, to be fair, I've been thinking about writing this for a while... I absolutely love Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Chrobin is one of my rare long-lasting OTPs, so when I watched Yuri on Ice and acquired a new long-lasting OTP, it was only natural that I started imagining how Victor and Yuuri would fit in Chrom and Robin's roles.
> 
> If you're familiar with the game, you'll notice that this story is a very straightforward adaptation. In fact, I took a lot of the dialogue straight from the game (thank you, wiki contributors, for putting the full chapter scripts up... you are lifesavers). Still, there are many things I've changed to make it fit with the YOI characters, so I hope you'll still find it interesting!

“Yuuri! He’s up there!” a silver-haired man yells. 

Yuuri can feel the magic covering his hands, and he directs it outwards. A large icicle forms , flying through the air like an arrow, but it misses its target. 

“Fool,” their enemy hisses. “Now, die!”

He aims his attack not at Yuuri, but at his ally, and panic surges in Yuuri’s chest.

“Victor! Watch out!” Yuuri finds himself saying, though he’s not in control of his own words.

Victor raises his own magic-coated hands, but before he can make his own move, Yuuri is blasting away the dark magic that had been heading for him with another icicle of his own.

Rage builds inside him. This man can’t hurt Victor. Yuuri won’t let him.

Yuuri grips his tome in one hand and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Victor. Together, they let loose two giant icicle spears that hit their mark this time.

“It’s over, Validar,” Victor says quietly, deathly serious, as their enemy sinks to the ground.

Validar chuckles weakly.

“You think this is over? You can’t fight fate…”

His eyes close, and then Victor and Yuuri can finally focus on each other.

“Are you aright, Yuuri?” Victor asks gently, his eyes soft with concern. “That’s the end of him… We can rest easy now,” he says comfortingly, reaching out a hand.

But Yuuri is not alright and they cannot rest easy. There’s a pain in his head, and his vision swims. He can’t help but cry out.

“Yuuri!” Victor exclaims as he comes racing over.

_’No! Stay away stay away stay away stay away,’_ Yuuri thinks desperately, but he cannot speak. Something is wrong with him.

His tome is wide open and magic pools in his hands. Before he can even let out a warning cry, the frozen spear has pierced Victor straight through the chest.

Victor is looking at him with wide eyes, but then he blinks and there’s nothing but sorrow in them.

Yuuri… look at me…” Victor says, breaking off into cough. “This… isn’t your fault… Promise me… you’ll escape… Please, go… I… I love…”

Victor collapses then, his eyes closing as he falls.

Yuuri laughs.

(Wait, no. This is wrong. He isn’t laughing; he’s heartbroken. This thing that’s laughing is not him.)

Yuuri’s vision goes dark.


	2. Prologue: The Verge of History

When he first comes to awareness, he can’t even find the strength to open his eyes.

“Well, we’ve got to do _something,_ ” a female voice says.

“I know, but what?” a male voice asks.

“I don’t know! You’re the one in charge, princey,” the female voice replies.

He finally forces his eyes open, and two blurry figures appear. He blinks, and blinks again, but they still don’t come into focus.

“You’re awake!” the man in front of him exclaims. “Oh, your glasses fell off. Here, let me help you,”

His glasses slide gently over his eyes, and he comes face to face with the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.

“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know,” the beautiful man says, smiling brightly as he holds out a hand. “Give me your hand.”

The beautiful man pulls him upwards, and their eyes meet. Something in the man’s blue eyes calls to him, and it feels like coming home.

“Are you alright?” the beautiful man with beautiful eyes asks gently.

“Uh, yes,” he replies. “Thank you, Victor.”

“Ah, so you _have_ heard of me!” Victor says cheerfully.

“Uh… no…” he responds sheepishly. “I actually have no idea who you are. The name just popped into my head.”

Not only does he not know who this “Victor” is, but he has no idea where he is, or what he’s supposed to be doing, or… or anything!

“Wow! That’s weird. So, stranger, what’s your name, then?”

“I… um… I… don’t know?” he admits, panic welling up inside him. “I-I don’t know anything! I...”

“You’ve got amnesia?” the woman next to Victor asks.

“That’s a load of shit,” an older man growls from the top of his horse. “You expect us to believe you remember Victor’s name but not your own? Do you think we were born yesterday?”

“Yes! I mean, no! I… I’m telling the truth!” he shouts, waving his arms around rapidly, but it sounds ridiculous even to his own ears. Now they’re all going to think he’s lying and they’ll probably take him to jail and he doesn’t even know if he knows how to fight, and oh gods this is the worst experience he’s ever had (since it’s the only experience he has in his memory right now, that makes it automatically the worst).

“Hey, Yakov, stop freaking him out! He might be telling the truth!” Victor pipes up in his defense. “And what if he is? We can’t just leave him out here, alone and confused!”

“Vitya, you’re too trusting. This man is not a stray puppy for you to bring home. He could have ill intent,” Yakov argues.

“I know that,” Victor protests. “So we’ll just take him to town and sort things out there. If he’s dangerous, we’ll take care of it.”

Ah, so they are taking him prisoner, then.

“No worries, friend. We’ll let you go as soon as we establish that you’re no threat to Ylisse,” Victor says, still in good cheer.

“Is that where we are? A place called Ylisse?” he asks, trying to glean as much information about his situation as possible.

Yakov shoots him a glare. “And now you expect us to believe you’ve never heard of the halidom? You certainly can play the fool’s part well.”

“Yakov!” Victor exclaims, as if he’d been the one offended. “Whatever, don’t mind Yakov. We’re in the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler is called the Exalt. Her name’s Lilia. And, oh, I guess we may as well introduce ourselves properly, too. We’re Shepherds, and we protect the land around here. I’m Victor, but you knew that. And this lovely lady here is my cousin, Mila. She can take down a man twice her size with a single blow!”

“Damn right,” Mila says, smirking.

If he had ever held any intention of trying to cause harm, he would be rethinking it right now.

“And Mr. Suspicion over there is Yakov! It’s nothing personal against you. He’s like this with everyone.”

I would _love_ to trust you,” Yakov says through gritted teeth. “But experience tells me that’s unwise.”

“I, uh, well, right… I understand, sir. It’s good to be cautious… Um, my name’s Yuuri… I _just_ remembered that, I _swear,_ ” he says, ducking his head when Yakov’s glare intensifies.

“Yuuri? Is that foreign?” Victor asks curiously, but then he shakes his head. “Oh, wait, you don’t remember anything. That’s a shame! But I guess we can work it out in town.”

And maybe that’s what they would have done if Mila hadn’t suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Um, Victor? I don’t think that town is supposed to be on fire,” she says worriedly.

“Damn it! It must be the brigands! Mila, Yakov, let’s go!”

“And what about him?” Yakov asks, gesturing towards Yuuri.

“Is he on fire, too? No? Then I think it can wait,” Victor shouts, already running toward the burning town.

Yakov and Mila follow after him, and for a moment, Yuuri is dumbstruck.

If there was ever a chance of him getting away, it would be now. But… where would he go? It could be dangerous for him to go off by himself if there are arsonists hanging around.

So, after a moment, he runs after the others.

Besides, if there’s a chance he could do anything to help, he should at least try.

* * *

Yuuri catches up with the others just in time to see a group of bandits spread out, obviously ready to put up a fight.

“Yuuri!” Victor calls out in surprise. “You followed us? Why?”

“I-I don’t know,” Yuuri admits, his heart hammering in his chest. “But, look, I found a tome on me. I can fight with you, if you’ll have me.”

Victor steps closer, scrutinizing the tome in Yuuri’s hands.

“Ice magic? Is that what you favor?” Victor asks.

“Uh, apparently,” Yuuri says with a shrug. He still can’t remember anything about his past, but the tome feels familiar, and he’s sure he can still wield it properly.

“Ice tomes are my weapon of choice, too,” Victor says, a faint smile coming over his face. “Though I only brought my sword today, see,” he continues, gesturing to the fancy-looking sword at his side.

“Can you perhaps save this fascinating discussion for some time when we are not in the middle of a burning village,” Yakov snaps

“Yeah,” Victor responds guiltily before turning back to Yuuri. “Of course we’ll take another fighter. I’m a tactician, so just do what I say, okay?”

“Right.” Yuuri nods.

Victor is clearly experienced, so Yuuri has no problem following the tactical orders he gives him. His magical attacks aren’t very powerful, but as a ranged fighter, he can stand behind the others and finish off the enemies after they’ve already been weakened.

It’s because he’s behind the others that he sees what Victor apparently does not. The leader of the bandits comes running forward, lance raised, ready to slash Victor in two, and…

“Look out!” Yuuri cries, but there’s no way Victor can dodge in time, unless…

Yuuri’s body is already moving before he has a chance to think about it, the pages of his tome crumpling under the strength of his grip.

Yuuri’s breath gets knocked out of him as he tackles Victor, and Victor curses in pain as he hits the ground. Fortunately, though, the lance attack misses the both of them.

“Sorry about that,” Yuuri mumbles as they pick themselves back up.

“Don’t be. You may have saved my life,” Victor insists.

Yuuri has to turn away from Victor’s intense gaze, but it’s for the best anyway; the bandit leader is looking to attack again.

“Stay close to me, Yuuri. I won’t let you get hurt,” Victor promises. “Also, could you let me borrow that tome? Even blessed swords have trouble against lances.”

“Uh, sure?” Yuuri agrees, handing his weapon over. Of course, now Yuuri has no weapon, so he hopes Victor was being serious about not letting him get hurt.

On the bright side, he has an excellent view of Victor fighting. Victor wields magic like he was born to do it, effortlessly directing swirls of ice in a way that could pass for art were they not in the middle of a battlefield. His attacks hit harder than Yuuri’s, too, and the bandit leader goes down in only a couple of strikes.

Their opponent slumps to the ground, completely unconscious but still breathing, and for several seconds Yuuri and Victor simply stare at the body without saying a word.

“Are you… Are you going to…?” Yuuri whispers, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

Victor doesn’t respond for a moment.

“I… don’t kill, Yuuri,” Victor says slowly. “We’ll… We’ll take him to prison, or, or Yakov will, or…”

“Oh,” Yuuri murmurs, a sense of relief washing over him. “I’m… I’m glad.”

“Yeah?” Victor gazes at him intensely again, only this time Yuuri resists the urge to turn away.

He startles when Victor’s arm brushes against his side, but he relaxes again when he realizes that Victor is just returning the tome he had borrowed to Yuuri’s coat pocket.

“We should regroup with the others,” Victor says. His hand briefly hovers over Yuuri’s shoulder before he jerks it back to his side.

Even though nothing really happened, Yuuri blushes anyway.

“Okay. Let’s go,” Yuuri agrees quickly, hoping desperately that his face will cool before Yakov and Mila get a chance to see him.

* * *

“I suppose you were useful,” Yakov tells Yuuri in the warmest tone he’s ever used with him.

“I’m just glad I could help,” Yuuri says truthfully.

“Hmm. And I assume you have no idea where these sudden helpful skills came from, do you?” Yakov continues, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Yuuri winces. So Yakov wasn’t going to drop the matter.

“I understand your skepticism, sir, and I really can’t give you a good explanation, but… Please believe me when I say that I’ve told you everything I know,” Yuuri says desperately. There’s no chance of him being able to run away anymore, so his only option is to put himself at the mercy of his companions. If they don’t come to trust him, then…

An image of Yakov swinging his lance at the bandits pops into his head, and Yuuri can’t suppress a shudder.

“You fought to save Ylissean lives,” Victor says warmly, drawing Yuuri out of his horrific imaginings. “My heart says that’s enough.”

Yakov shifts his gaze from Yuuri to give Victor a hard look.

“And what does your _brain_ tell you, Vitya?”

“My brain tells me that the Shepherds need skilled fighters! And Yuuri here is certainly skilled,” Victor says. “Besides, I believe his story, no matter how odd it seems.”

Victor’s eyes are soft, and Yuuri finds himself blushing again.

“Th-thank you, Victor,” he manages to choke out.

Victor smiles broadly.

“So how about it? Will you join us, Yuuri? We’ll pay you, of course, and we can set you up with housing, and, well, you have a weapon already, but when it breaks we can cover that, too. What do you say?”

The fact of the matter is that Yuuri is an amnesiac with nowhere to turn, and he can’t possibly refuse this offer.

More importantly, he doesn’t want to refuse it. In the short time he’s known them, Yuuri’s already come to like Victor and Mila, and even Yakov is starting to grow on him a little. If joining the Shepherds means he can keep spending time with them, then he can’t even imagine finding a better job.

“I would be honored,” Yuuri answers.

* * *

“Vitya, you did notice that the brigands spoke with a Plegian accent, didn’t you?” Yakov speaks, having decided to ignore Yuuri for now.

“Plegian? What’s that?” Yuuri asks, ducking his head when Yakov gives him an incredulous glance. “Never mind! I shouldn’t have said anything! Forget I mentioned it!” Yuuri laughs nervously, waving his arms dismissively.

But Victor answers his question anyway.

“Plegia is Ylisse’s neighbor to the west. They send small bands into our territory, trying to…” Victor interrupts himself with a sigh. “Trying to instigate war.”

“It’s the townsfolk who suffer the most,” Mila adds. “That’s why the Shepherds send out patrols all the time. We just want to keep the people safe.”

“And we thank you for it, milady,” one of the villager speaks up. “Without your aid, we surely would have perished.”

“We were just doing out duty, sir,” Victor says, giving the villager a charming smile.

“Milord, please! You must stay the night! We are folks of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!” the villager insists.

“Your offer is generous, but we must hurry back to Ylisstol,” Yakov says politely.

(“That’s our capitol,” Mila whispers into Yuuri’s ear.)

Victor, however, hasn’t seemed to notice Yakov’s response.

“Yes, thank you! I only like dark meat, but maybe you can bring out the white meat, too, because my friend here doesn’t remember what he likes, and—Wait, what?” Victor says in surprise. “We’re not staying? But Yakov, it’s almost dark!”

“Vitya, do you really want to eat these folks out of house and home when we have plenty to eat back in Ylisstol?” Yakov asks in a low voice.

“No…” Victor says dejectedly. “Fine, let’s hurry back.”

As they walk, Victor falls in step beside Yuuri.

“Yakov’s so mean to me, Yuuri. He wouldn’t even let us have a couple of drinks before we left,” he says with an exaggerated pout.

“Ah… Yes, I can see that Yakov is a very strict lieutenant,” Yuuri says quietly, glancing nervously at said lieutenant.

“You could call it that. I might have another way of phrasing it, myself.” Victor says grimly. “Let’s just say that if Yakov smiles, someone is in serious trouble.”

Yakov clears his throat.

“You do realize that I _am_ still present?” he asks sarcastically.

“Oh, we realize,” Victor mutters, drawing out a snicker from Yuuri.

“Be quiet and keep moving,” Yakov snaps.

Victor shares a look with Yuuri and grins, but says nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just take a moment to complain about how hard it was to write the first part of this chapter. I could hardly call him "Yuuri" before he remembered he was Yuuri! So I had to stick with "he," and I ultimately had to delete a lot of sentences because they didn't make sense without a clarifying antecedent... So, anyway, I hope it wasn't too confusing! I tried my best!


	3. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *can't write 2500 word essay* *CAN write 2500 word fanfic chapter* (To be fair, many of the words are just "he said." Academic writing is a little harder.)
> 
> I realized that I didn't mention it previously, but Victor has long hair here! (He will cut it eventually, though.)

“Yakov, it’s dark! Now we’re going to have to sleep outside! Think about what this is going to do to my looks,” Victor complains, dragging a hand through his long hair. “And there are bugs flying around everywh—Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!”

Mila laughs so hard that she has to double over. The wounded look Victor sends her only makes her laugh more.

“Maybe that will teach you to keep your mouth shut, Vitya,” she teases him.

“I think I _swallowed_ it,” Victor moans. “I can’t believe we have to camp out here and _eat bugs_ just to survive.”

“If someone would pick up his sword and go hunting, we might have some real food to eat,” Yakov points out, looking pointedly at Victor.

“Yeah, Vitya. Go get us some food, already.” Mila snickers.

Yakov looks pointedly at her, too.

“And perhaps if someone else had an axe, we could chop wood and have a fire going by the time he gets back.”

“Uh… yeah,” Mila says sheepishly as Victor laughs at her.

“And we still need to a clear a campsite. I’ll start on that, and…”

Yakov glances at him, and suddenly, Yuuri comes to the horrible realization that he is about to be left all alone with Yakov.

“I’ll help hunt with Victor!” he blurts out, glancing apologetically at Victor for basically inviting himself.

But Victor looks thrilled.

“That’s a great idea! You can scare out the prey with your magic! I do it all the time,” he says cheerfully. 

And next thing Yuuri knows, Victor has grabbed him by the hand and is practically dragging him out into the forest.

His heart beats quickly, and he wonders if this was a good idea after all.

* * *

“Bear meat…” Victor whines sadly as they all sit down to eat.

“Well, I think it’s great! Plus, this thing’s huge!” Mila says, excitedly waving a chunk of meat around. “If you’re not going to eat it, give me your share. Or give it to Yuuri.”

Yuuri, who’s busy stuffing himself with as much meat he can fit in his hands, looks up , but he doesn’t stop eating.

“Yuuri, I thought you’d have better taste, at least!” Victor exclaims in horror.

Yuuri stares at him incredulously, shoving another piece of meat into his mouth.

“You know I can’t remember the last time I ate anything?” he asks in between bites.

“Oh!” Victor’s hand flies over his heart. “That’s so tragic! I guess anything would taste good when you’re on the brink of starvation!”

“Be quiet and eat your bear, Vitya,” Yakov grumbles from his seat next to Victor.

“Hey, I don’t see you eating it, either,” Victor protests.

“I am an old man,” Yakov says tiredly. “I have eaten more than my fair share of bear meat in my life and I am not hungry enough to eat it again now.”

Victor pouts and places a strip of meat into his mouth.

* * *

They’re all starting to get tired, and Yuuri is about to ask if it’s okay to go to sleep when he notices Victor freeze in place.

The others notice, too.

“What’s the matter, Vitya?” Mila asks with a yawn.

“Something… Something is wrong…” Victor says slowly.

“Can you be more specific?” Mila asks in concern.

“I don’t know, I… I’ll just go look,” Victor says, standing up.

“Alone? I don’t think so.” Mila stands up as well.

“I don’t think we should get separated,” Yuuri adds, a foreboding feeling rising in his chest.

“He’s got a point. We’ll all go,” Yakov concurs.

“Well, I guess… It’s probably nothing, but… thanks, everyone.” Victor says quietly.

But as they walk, it becomes obvious that it’s not “nothing.”

“It’s so dark. And quiet,” Mila whispers, but the sound carries in the silence. “Normally you’d hear the insects, at least, but…”

“Something is wrong,” Victor repeats his statement from before.

The earth begins to shake beneath their feet.

A crack appears in the ground just ahead of them, and slowly it spreads into a larger and larger fissure, until…

“Run,” Victor says forcefully. “We have to run.”

The ground surges upward, pushed from below by the fire that now spills out around them, setting the forest ablaze. Fireballs rain down on them as they flee, but somehow they make it safely to the edge of the forest without harm.

That doesn’t mean they are safe.

The air in front of them seems to shift as a ball of white light appears in the sky.

“What… _is_ that?” Mila gasps.

Suddenly, the light explodes and is replaced with a dark void. Runes appear out of nowhere to encircle it, and in the center an arc of crystals appears, expanding upward into a circle. A vortex of blue light inside the crystals opens to let several bodies fall out.

These _things_ are not people.

Their grayish bodies sport armor and weapons, but their eyes, glowing a nefarious shade of red, could not belong to any human.

(Something about the creatures tugs at Yuuri’s mind, but no memories are forthcoming, and he can’t afford to dwell on it at the moment.)

Victor and Yakov draw their weapons at the same time. They slash at the monsters in unison, but defeating them only causes them to dissolve into a shadowy cloud and disappear.

Too late, Yuuri realizes that the monsters outnumber them. Two of them lumber towards him, and he finds himself trapped, pressed up against a tree. He pulls out his tome, but he can’t see any way to hit one without opening himself to the other’s attack. Victor, Yakov, and Mila all have monsters of their own to deflect, so Yuuri is alone.

He takes a deep breath, readying his magic. If he has to go down like this, he can at least take one of the monsters down with him.

But just as he’s about to make his final move, a blond-haired figure jumps between him and the monsters, shielding Yuuri with his sword behind his back.

“Victor!” the masked figure shouts.

The shout draws Victor over immediately, and together the two swordsmen slash the enemies back to shadows.

“Yuuri! Are you okay?” Victor asks worriedly, immediately running to him.

“I’m fine,” Yuuri says dazedly, his eyes still locked on the masked man.

Victor follows his gaze. For a moment they just stand there, the three of them lost in their own world.

Eventually, Victor breaks the silence.

“That was a dramatic entrance,” he says, his voice serious but still friendly. “What’s your name?”

The masked man’s lips twist into a grimace, and he turns his face away.

“Vitya!” Yakov shouts, sprinting over as quickly as he can.

“Vitya! Yuuri!” Mila echoes. “What happened?”

“Has anyone been injured?” Yakov questions. “Mila, do you have a staff on you?”

“We’re not injured,” Victor insists.

“Right. This masked man got here before I was hurt.” He gestures towards where the man had just been standing, but nobody is there. “Uh… where did he go?”

“We can worry about that later. There are more of these things we have to defeat.”

“Yuuri, I want you to cover me,” Victor demands. “Cast if there’s an opportunity, but don’t go off on your own.”

“Okay,” Yuuri agrees easily. “You’re the tactician.”

It’s probably for the best that they stick together. Though the creatures they’re fighting move slowly, they also have an awful habit of sneaking up behind you while you’re busy with another one of their brethren. 

At first, both sides seem equally matched, but then the tides turn in the Shepherds’ favor with the arrival of two more fighters.

“Phichit! You made it back!” Victor calls, though he isn’t able to turn away from the creature he’s locked in combat with.

“And just in time, obviously!” Phichit yells back, quickly unsheathing his sword.

“Who’s that with you?” Victor continues, finally breaking though his enemy’s defenses to land a hit.

“It’s been a long time, Victor,” a man says smoothly.

“Chris!” Victor gasps, but whether it’s from surprise or exertion, Yuuri can’t tell. “What are you doing here?”

“Helping,” Chris replies. 

Victor stabs one of the monsters, using the few seconds it takes the creature to dissolve as an opportunity to scan the battlefield.

“Yuuri and I are good here. Chris, set up next to Yakov and finish off his enemies with your bow,” Victor orders. “Phichit, go take over for Mila. Let her heal whoever needs it.”

They finish things quickly after that.

* * *

“It seems that the creatures have been vanquished. This young man took care of the rest of them,” Yakov tells them, apparently having caught the masked man before he could escape again.

Said masked man appears particularly uncomfortable to be there.

“Um…” Yuuri starts, feeling slightly embarrassed for having to be saved. “I never got to thank you for before, so… Yeah… Thank you. You were very brave.”

“You saved my friend when I couldn’t!” Victor exclaims. “I can’t thank you enough! I’m Victor, by the way. What’s your name?”

The masked man grimaces, answering with only a single word.

“Marth.”

Victor nods appreciatively. “Marth, huh? Were you named after the hero king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where’d you learn to use a sword like that?” he chatters amiably.

For some reason, though, this makes Marth angry.

“Shut up!” he yells. “I didn’t come here to talk about me!” 

Marth opens his mouth, presumably to yell some more, but then he seems to think better of it, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Focus. You need to listen closely.” He takes a deep breath. “This world teeters on the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. _You have been warned._ ”

And then he abruptly whirls around, running off into the forest with his cape billowing behind him.

“Well, that was… something,” Mila says dazedly. “I almost feel like that’s something Victor would do.”

“It looked cool,” Victor admits, but he doesn’t sound very happy. “But what did he mean by that? Tonight was just a prelude? Are more of those creatures going to appear?”

“We need to hurry back to Ylisstol,” Yakov says darkly.

* * *

Ylisstol is beautiful, and, fortunately, not under attack by any monsters.

“Thank the gods.” Victor sighs with relief. “The quake must have been limited to the forest.”

A shout comes from down the street, so they hurry over.

“Look! The exalt has come to see us!” someone exclaims.

In the distance, Yuuri can see an elegant woman strolling along the street, her guards trailing behind her. As she walks, she raises her hand in greeting to the people.

“The exalt is your ruler, right?” Yuuri asks worriedly. “Is it safe for her to be out in the open like this?”

“Hmph. Lady Lilia holds no fear. She would be offended if you told her to stay inside.” Yakov mutters. “Regardless, the people need to see her. She is a symbol of peace. Long ago, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Lilia reminds us all of the peace we fought for then.”

“She’s all peace in public, but don’t let that fool you. Granny’s really scary!” Victor says with a laugh.

“That’s because you keep calling her ‘Granny,’ Vitya!” Mila responds. “You know she wants us to call her 'Grandmother,' so it’s your own fault if she gets mad at you.”

“But ‘grandmother’ is so formal,” Victor complains. “I don’t want to feel like I’m in a meeting every time we have breakfast together.”

“Wait a minute,” Yuuri interrupts. “If she’s your grandmother, then that means… That means you’re…”

“The prince and princess, yes,” Yakov says flatly. “You remember Victor’s name and not this?”

“B-By the gods… You said you were called ‘shepherds’ and… You never mentioned…” Yuuri says shakily.

“We are shepherds! Well, in a sense,” Victor explains. “It’s a metaphor, see. The people are the precious little sheep, and—“

“I get it!” Yuuri snaps, before he realizes with horror that he’s snapping at a _prince._ “I’m so sorry, Victor! I mean Prince Victor! Milord! Please forgive my manners! Maybe I was raised in a barn; I don’t know! I’m very sorry!”

“Wow, Yuuri. I don’t know how I will ever recover from this dreadful insult to my person,” Victor deadpans, though he can only hold his serious expression for a couple of seconds before he bursts into laughter. “You don’t really think I care about formalities, do you? You can just call me Victor.” He smiles at Yuuri in a way that gets Yuuri’s heart hammering again.

“Okay,” Yuuri agrees, his suddenly dry throat making it difficult to speak. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” Victor says softly, stepping closer to Yuuri’s side. He wraps an arm around Yuuri’s shoulder, and Yuuri stiffens instinctually. And yet, he can’t bring himself to pull away, either. He relaxes after a moment. Victor isn’t even looking at him, instead watching his grandmother turn around and proceed back to the palace.

“I guess it was just a short visit. She’s heading back now,” Victor says, and then he does look at Yuuri. “Do you want to meet her?”

Yuuri is not entirely sure that he wants to meet Victor’s “really scary” grandmother at all, but Victor’s giving him that smile again, and so he nods.

“Great! Let’s go, everyone. We can’t keep Granny waiting!” Victor says excitedly, starting forward.

He does not remove his hand from Yuuri’s shoulder.

* * *

Yuuri had thought the city was beautiful, but the palace is on an entirely different level. He hadn’t paid much thought to his appearance up to this point (he did, after all, have more important problems to worry about), but in the halls of the palace, he feels self-conscious of the dirt in his hair and the ripped clothing covering his body.

He only feels worse when Victor leaves his side to run over to Lilia.

“Grann—ahem, I mean, Grandmother,” Victor starts, his entire demeanor shifting.

“We took care of the brigands,” Victor continues. “Those bandits won’t bother us again for a while.”

“And our people?” Lilia asks.

“They’re safe,” Victor assures her. “But we still need to keep an eye on our borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia.”

_’He’s acting like the perfect prince now,’_ Yuuri thinks. _’It’s almost like looking at an entirely different person.’_

“I see,” Lilia says, frowning. Her gaze shifts to Yuuri, and she inclines her head in his direction.

“Who is this, Victor?”

Victor glances back, and he gives Yuuri a quick, reassuring smile before smoothing it back into a neutral expression.

“This is Yuuri. He fought bravely with us against the brigands. I’ve decided to make him one of the Shepherds.” Victor says smoothly.

“Is that so?” Lilia murmurs thoughtfully. “Well, Victor, the Shepherds are your personal forces, so I suppose you can do as you wish with them.”

“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak,” Yakov breaks in. “Yuuri claims to have lost his memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is himself a brigand, or even a Plegian spy.”

“Yakov!” Victor bursts out angrily. “After everything he’s done for us, you still think—“

Lilia silences him with a wave of her hand.

“Yakov makes a fair point.” Before Victor can protest any further, she continues. “And yet you felt the need to bring him to the castle, Victor. Does this man have your trust?”

“He does,” Victor says confidently. “He risked his life to save our people. That’s enough for me.”

Hearing Victor’s words makes Yuuri feel warm, and a small smile stretches across his face.

“Well then, Yuuri…” Lilia turns her attention to him, and he gulps. “It seems you’ve earned Victor’s faith, and as such you have mine as well. Do make sure not to break it.”

“M-Milady,” Yuuri says in what he hopes sounds like a respectful tone. Lilia nods and turns away from him, so Yuuri assumes she found him acceptable. Hopefully.

“Victor, we are about to hold council. You’ll join us,” Lilia orders.

“Of course,” Victor agrees.

“Come with me, Yuuri. There’s a place I want to show you,” Mila says quietly, gesturing to the door. “Oh, but I’ll wait to let Victor take you on the main tour. I’m sure he’s just distraught that he has to attend that council meeting.”

“He doesn’t like meetings, does he?” Yuuri frowns. “I feel bad for him.”

“Oh, you should,” Mila says with a smirk. “Those meetings are hell. If Victor ever invites you to one, run.”

“Uh… okay,” Yuuri agrees. “But why would Victor invite me to a council meeting? I don’t know anything about politics.”

“Neither does half the council,” Mila mutters.


	4. Chapter 2: Shepherds

“Here we are, the Shepherd’s garrison!” Mila announces. “Make yourself at home,” she adds.

Not that Yuuri can possibly get comfortable when every pair of eyes in the room immediately turn to look at him.

“… Hi…” Yuuri says quietly.

All at once, everyone starts chattering.

“Wow, Mila, you brought a pretty one this time!” a dark-haired woman says happily.

“Sara, I haven’t seen you in three days, and all you can say is that _he’s_ pretty?” Mila asks in mock offense.

“Oh, goodness! Forgive me, Mila, for not complimenting you! Your radiant beauty was too much for me to look at!” Sara apologizes with a laugh.

“Sara, you don’t really think this guy is pretty, do you? Sara? Sara?” a man asks. Judging by his appearance, Yuuri assumes he must be her brother.

“I don’t know, Michele; I kinda think he’s pretty too,” another man interjects. “It’s not every day we see a new face around here! Maybe we should be a little more welcoming.”

“Emil’s right, Mickey!” Sala agrees. “Don’t be mean just because you’re jealous!”

Yuuri feels a blush rise to his face. It feels strange to be spoken about as if he isn’t there, and it feels even stranger to be called, of all things, “pretty.”

“Hey,” someone says to him, poking Yuuri in the side. “Yuuri, right? My name’s Phichit!” 

Yuuri turns to face the smiling man, grateful that at least _someone_ is willing to actually speak _to_ him.

“I remember. You helped us out in the forest,” Yuuri says gratefully. “You’re very skilled with your sword.”

“Thanks! I’ve been a mercenary for years, so I should hope I’d have some skills,” Phichit responds cheerily. “What about you and that magic, though? You were casting really quickly to keep up with Victor, but you didn’t even break a sweat! “

“Ah! Y-You watching me fight?” Yuuri asks, blushing faintly. “My magic’s not very powerful, but with Victor doing most of the hard work, it wasn’t too bad finishing the creatures off.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Yuuri!” Phichit insists. “I’ve fought beside Victor before, and he usually outpaces me within a minute. I can hold his extra vulneraries for him, though!” he continues, laughing.

Then, as if talking about him had summoned him, Victor strolls into the room.

“The council hates me and wants me to suffer,” he announces loudly, drawing chuckles from the other Shepherds.

“What did they do this time, Victor? Ban your dog from the halls again?” Sara asks.

“Goodness, no! They know by now that my darling Makka can’t be held back by things like _doors,_ ” Victor says with a laugh. “It’s about the vortex zombies, of course.”

“There’s no way they called them that,” Mila points out. 

“No, we’re calling them the Risen,” Victor responds, his voice growing serious. “The council decided that we need assistance from Regna Ferox to quell the menace. Normally, the exalt would go in person, but under the circumstances, the people might worry if she leaves.” He sighs deeply. “So I have to go. We’ll start marching in the morning.”

“Um, I’m sorry,” Yuuri speaks up, “but what’s Regna Ferox?”

Victor’s eyes flicker to him, and then the man is by his side in a flash.

“Regna Ferox is a unified kingdom just north of us. It’s inhabited by warriors,” Victor explains.

“Are we going to fight?” Yuuri asks nervously. 

“Hopefully not.” Victor replies. “But we have to be prepared.”

Yuuri swallows thickly, but Victor is already turning to look at the others.

“Now, this mission is strictly voluntary, so if for any reason you—“

“I volunteer,” Mila cuts him off.

“I’ll go, too,” Sara adds.

“No! Sara, it’s too dangerous!” Michele protests. “I won’t have you leaving Ylisse. I’ll go in your stead.” he says, moving to stand in front of his sister protectively.

“Why are you always like this, Mickey?” Sara shouts. “You act like I can’t fight on my own. I’m as much of a knight as you, you know!”

“But Sara! This isn’t like a normal mission. We don’t know what these barbarians are capable of,” Michele complains.

“Then have you no regard for your own life? You’re frailer than I am!”

“Don’t worry, Sara; I’ll take care of your brother for you,” Emil chimes in.

“See that you do,” Sara says icily. “Because _I_ will not be speaking to him again until he gets his head out of his ass.”

She shoots another angry glare at her brother before she leaves.

“Ah. Yes. Well.” Victor says, breaking the silence that had overtaken them at Sara’s departure. “It wouldn’t do to leave the country without one of its best knights, anyway. Perhaps a break from each other will do you well?” he suggests, the sadness in his eyes standing in sharp contrast to the smile he’s putting on.

“Actually, if you don’t mind,” Phichit says, “I’d rather sit this one out, too. My sword’s not doing too good, and I really need some new armor.”

“That’s fine,” Victor says, nodding at Phichit. Then he looks to Yuuri expectantly. 

“Uh… You don’t actually want me going, do you?” Yuuri asks in confusion. “I just joined you. And I really don’t have any experience, and I don’t know anything about Regna Ferox and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in a foreign country, and—“

“Yuuri,” Victor interrupts him, “You can stay here if you really want. But I’d feel safer if you were fighting at my side.”

“Really? Even though this is such an important mission?” Yuuri asks.

“You’ve already proven yourself to be a valuable ally,” Victor tells him, his smile warm. “Just stay close to me, and everything will be fine.”

Yuuri hesitates. He could always say no… He could stay with Phichit and maybe ask him to show him the ropes. He almost certainly would not be able to cause any international incidents from the garrison, at least. But...

He remembers the bandit that almost caught Victor off guard. He remembers the way the Risen swarmed around them, how he had to blast them with magic to give Victor room to fight. And Yuuri can imagine all too clearly what could have happened to Victor if he’d been alone.

“I’ll stay by your side. There’s no way I’ll allow anyone to hurt you,” Yuuri says with a ferocity that surprises himself.

But Victor just nods.

“I know. And I will protect you, as well.”

* * *

The journey isn’t easy. Even though Yuuri is freshly washed and equipped with mended clothes, vulneraries, and several new Blizzard tomes, he hardly feels like a _proper_ soldier, especially compared to the rest of the Shepherds.

Fortunately, Victor seems serious about them not leaving each other’s sides, which puts Yuuri’s mind at ease, at least slightly. As they walk, Victor gives him a basic rundown of the stare of Ylisse’s foreign affairs.

Or, at least, he tries to. Victor has a tendency to go on tangents, which turn into personal anecdotes, and, well…

“And that’s why, _technically,_ I’m banned from ever picking up an axe again. But that’s fine, because even though I kind of have to wield my sword due to my lineage, magic is really all I’m interested in.” Victor tells him.

“You’re amazing with it,” Yuuri says sincerely. “You’re amazing with the sword, too. It’s obvious that you’ve practiced them both for years. I don’t know how long I’ve been practicing magic, but… I hope it wasn’t long…”

It would be awful if he’d been practicing for ten years or something, only to still be so weak.

“Hmm… You really don’t remember _anything_ about who you were?” Victor asks gently.

“I’ve told you everything I know. That’s literally all I remember. It’s not even that my memories are fuzzy; they’re just… _absent._ ” Yuuri says, frowning.

Victor rests his hand on his shoulder, and Yuuri finds himself stepping closer to his side.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you figure out your past, Yuuri,” Victor says.

“Thanks, but… don’t worry about it.” Yuuri smiles. “You have more important things to think about than why a random mage has amnesia.”

“Nonsense!” Victor insists. “You’re a Shepherd now, Yuuri! I’ll help you with anything you need! There must be something we can use to figure it out.”

Victor leans closer to him, trailing his hand down Yuuri’s arm.

“U-Um.” Yuuri’s face grows hot, and he almost pulls away in embarrassment, but then he notices that Victor is staring intensely at the fabric of his coat.

“This material is of excellent quality, so you probably weren’t poor. And the design looks kind of familiar, too.” His breath hitches. “Yes, it looks like… Well, it’s a common symbol in Plegia,” Victor says, tracing the pattern with his fingers.

“Plegia…” Yuuri murmurs. “The ones who send bandits into Ylisse?”

“I doubt you were a bandit, Yuuri,” Victor says quietly. “You don’t even speak with an accent. It’s more likely that your parents came over during the war…”

“Plegia had a war?” Yuuri asks.

“Yes. With Ylisse. It was years ago, when I was still a small child,” Victor explains, a pained expression on his face.

“I see.” Yuuri decides not to press for more details about the war just now, not when it’s clearly upsetting Victor, but he resolves to look into it later. “So I’m probably Plegian, or of Plegian descent. Is that… going to be a problem?” he asks worriedly, remembering Yakov’s fear of “Plegian spies.”

“No,” Victor says firmly, returning his hand to Yuuri’s shoulder and drawing him closer. “You’re one of us now, Yuuri. Nothing’s going to change that.”

* * *

Their march is, unfortunately, interrupted when they come across a band of Risen.

“Gods,” Victor says under his breath. “Have they already spread this far?”

He pulls out a tome, and Yuuri recognizes it as Fimbulvetr, a much more powerful spell than Blizzard.

“Are you ready, Yuuri?” Victor asks. “These look a little stronger than the ones we faced before.”

Yuuri nods, pulling out his own tome. He may not have as much experience as the rest of the Shepherds, but for some reason Victor trusts Yuuri to protect him, and, by the gods, Yuuri isn’t going to let him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter probably borrows the least from the game's script, because... Well, the characters introduced are REALLY different from the original Awakening characters.
> 
> Also, I added a scene that doesn't occur in the game, because... Well, it needed to happen. Like, does anyone else find it strange that, in the game, Chrom never seemed to notice Robin's OBVIOUSLY Plegian-style clothing? I chalk it up to "Chrom has no freakin' idea about politics" (an idea which holds up pretty well throughout the game, actually), but given the motivations I'm attributing to Victor in this story... it just doesn't make sense for him not to know.


	5. Chapter 3: Warrior Realm

“It’s freezing,” Mila complains.

“I think it feels fine!” Victor responds cheerfully. Personally, Yuuri agrees, but then, they’re both wearing coats, a necessity for ice magic users. The rest of the Shepherds are not dressed for the temperature, and unfortunately, there are no fire mages in their midst to warm them.

“We’re almost there, anyway,” Yakov informs them. “This is the Longfort.”

“The Longfort stretches along the border of Ylisse and Regna Ferox,” Victor explains to Yuuri. “The khans that rule Regna Ferox have grown wary of foreigners, you see.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. We come peacefully,” Yakov insists. “But remember, Vitya, this calls for _diplomacy._ ”

Victor nods.

“I know, Yakov. I’m not a child. I know how to be nice to a few leaders for the sake of my people.” Victor says with a laugh.

Yet, despite Yakov’s assurance that there would be nothing to worry about, they make it only a few more paces before they realize that they aren’t the only forces around the Longfort.

“The Feroxi Guard are mobilizing,” Yakov mutters.

“What? Why?” Victor scans their surroundings warily.

“I don’t know,” Yakov admits, “but we’d better stay alert.”

It isn’t long before a knight emerges from the fortress, flanked by soldiers on both sides.

“She goes by ‘Raimi,’ I believe,” Yakov says quietly. “She was only a rank-and-file soldier the last time I set foot near the fortress. I take it she got promoted.”

“Halt! Who goes there?” Raimi demands.

“Ah, hello there,” Victor greets with a charming smile. “We come in the name of House Ylisse. We seek an audience with the khans.”

“Not another step, my bold lad!” Raimi says with a glare. “I’ve got lancers at the ready!”

“No need for that, friend! We aren’t your enemy!” Victor says amiably. “Exalt Lilia herself sent us to discuss matters of mutual interest.”

“My only interest is keeping you out of Regna Ferox, brigand!” Raimi says, her hand already reaching for her lance.

“Br-Brigand?” Victor repeats, stunned. “We’re not…”

“You think you are the first ‘Ylisseans’ to try and cross our border?” Raimi asks severely. “I have the authority to fell such impostors where they stand!”

“Are you incapable of recognizing the Prince of Ylisse when you see him?” Yakov growls, irritation showing. “You are wasting everyone’s time.”

“The Prince! Ha! Yes, indeed—and I'm the queen of Valm!” Raimi laughs sharply. “You do realize impersonating royalty is a capital offense, yes?”

“We aren’t impersonating anyone,” Victor insists. “I am Prince Victor of Ylisse.”

“Mmm... Then perhaps we should settle this the Feroxi way. You claim to be the prince of Ylisse? Then prove it on the battlefield!” Raimi orders. 

Hearing her cue, her band of soldiers spread out. They stare forward, clearly waiting for the Shepherds to make their move.

If they were brigands, leaving would be the smart choice. But they are not, and the safety of Ylisse depends on their meeting the khans. Fighting is the only option.

“Fine,” Victor replies, his voice flat. “I don’t like it, but if you won’t listen, so be it. Shepherds, stay on guard!”

Yuuri quickly moves to Victor’s side, and Victor looks at him with relief.

“Yuuri, good, you’re here,” he says. “Trade me one of your Blizzards.”

“Uh, why?” Yuuri asks, but he makes no protest, merely digs into one of his pockets for his spare tome.

“Because we come in peace,” Victor says sadly, swapping the vulnerary he’d pulled out of his own pocket for Yuuri’s tome. 

Ah. Yuuri gets it. Fimbulvetr would be too much.

“They don’t exactly deserve ‘the great winter,’ do they…” he murmurs. “They really think we’re imposters.”

“You understand,” Victor says quietly. “Good. We’ll finish this quick. I’ll engage the commander directly. Yuuri, make sure her soldiers don’t interfere.”

The fight isn’t easy. The Feroxi Guard fight with a determination that can only be found in those defending their home.

But Victor is fighting for his home, too, and all the people in it. With his full focus on Raimi, he can’t afford to worry about stray lances and arrows hitting him. 

_’He won’t have to. They’ll have to get through me, first.’_ Yuuri thinks determinedly.

It isn’t too hard to keep the soldiers from surrounding Victor. Yuuri merely has to stand close by, and they tend to target him, instead. Yuuri understands. He looks weak. He is weak.

_’This is the second time I’ve had to use a vulnerary,’_ Yuuri realizes. _’Luckily, Victor gave me that extra one earlier, but…’_

The Feroxi warriors are persistent, that’s for sure. It seems that every time he gets one to retreat, another springs up to take their place. 

Somehow, he manages to scare off all but two of the Feroxi combatting him. Eventually, he lands a hit that knocks the archer unconscious. The solidier who had been fighting beside him glances nervously between his partner and Yuuri, as if trying to come to a decision.

“Take him back!” Yuuri snaps angrily. The choice should be obvious. “We aren’t here for your heads!”

The soldier stares at him coldly, and for a moment Yuuri fears that he’ll choose to keep fighting anyway. But then, slowly, the soldier picks up his unconscious comrade and retreats back to the fortress, and Yuuri can finally take a second to breathe.

“Victor, how are you doing?” Yuuri asks when he catches his breath enough to speak.

Victor, who’s been putting as much distance as he can between himself and Raimi in order to prevent counterattacks, turns his head at the sound of Yuuri’s voice.

“She won’t—Oh, gods!” Victor shouts, shooting one more large blast of ice at Raimi before running over to Yuuri. “You look awful! And your tome’s about to fall apart!”

Yuuri spares a glance at the weapon in his hand. He hadn’t realized how close it was to breaking, but it hardly surprises him.

“There were about…” He tries to remember how many Feroxi he was up against, but their faces blur together in his mind, so he can only offer a guess. “I think there were five of them?”

“Five! Gods, Yuuri, why didn’t you _say_ something?” Victor exclaims in horror. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yuuri says dismissively. Victor was busy, and, besides, it all turned out fine anyway. “How’s it going with Raimi?”

“She’s been heavily weakened, but she won’t surrender,” Victor tells him. He gets a hard look in his eyes, and his hand hovers over his sword. “I guess I have to make her.”

This time, when Victor attacks Raimi, it’s head-on. Though the Feroxi knight has the weapon advantage, Victor is a stronger and more skilled fighter, and Raimi is exhausted. After trading a couple of blows, Victor knocks the lance out of her hands.

Raimi does not quiver in the face of Victor’s sword, and Yuuri is a little impressed. If he had no weapon and Victor was pointing his sword at him… Well, he can’t imagine ever turning against Victor, so it wouldn’t happen, but he would certainly be afraid!

But, of course, Victor is not seeking Raimi’s execution. He lowers his sword.

“Then your claims were… true…” Raimi breathes heavily.

“Indeed.” Victor says, stepping back to allow her to pick up her fallen lance. “Now call off the rest of your soldiers.”

She does so, although in truth there are not that many left, the Shepherds having forced the majority to retreat already.

When everything has calmed down, Raimi returns to stand in front of Victor. 

“A thousand apologies, Prince Victor. I truly took you for brigand impostors. But no frauds could ever wage a battle as you just have!” she says, perfectly sweet now that the fighting is over. “I will send word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally.”

“That would be most appreciated. Thank you.” Victor responds politely.

As she leaves, Victor’s polite expression drops.

“What kind of treatment was that? Who makes a foreign prince fight just to prove his identity? What if I didn’t know how to fight?” he complains.

“Strength speaks louder than words in Ferox,” Yakov explains, though he’s just as annoyed as Victor. “I should have known better than to try to be diplomatic.”

“The khans had better help us after all the trouble we’ve been put through!” Victor continues. “Or else I’ll… I’ll…”

“You’ll do _what,_ Vitya?” Yakov asks drily.

“I’ll use my magic to make their dinner really cold!” Victor decides.

Yuuri tries to choke back a laugh, but Victor catches it anyway. And it only seems to encourage him.

“Yuuri, you can help me! We can sneak into their bedrooms and make their blankets cold, too!” he suggests.

Yuuri shakes his head. He tries to look serious, but he can feel the smile tugging at his lips.

“Shouldn’t we wait to see the outcome of the meeting first?” he points out.

“Oh, right!” Victor says cheerfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Feroxi guards... They went for Yuuri because they thought he'd be a squishy mage, but then, surprise! He's got high defense and resistance! (Runnin' outta breath but I-oh-I, I've got stamina~) And vulneraries, he's got those, too.
> 
> Also, note that Raimi is straight from the game. She isn't important or anything, but it was too difficult to write about Victor fighting against her without using her name.


	6. Chapter 4: Two Falchions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter, mostly because I got to write some nice scenes with Victor and Yuuri

Raimi delivers on her promise to escort them to the capitol.

“Prince Victor, please wait here while I summon the khan,” she says, leaving him, Yuuri, Mila, and Yakov to themselves (the rest of the Shepherds having been escorted to the healers’ chambers to ensure no wounds lingered from the battle).

“Um... Not that I mind, but why did you want me here, Victor?” Yuuri asks. Surely it didn’t make sense for him to be joining Ylissean royalty in a meeting with the leaders of another country…

“I want my second-in-command with me when we discuss matters of foreign affairs,” Victor explains cheerfully.

“I guess that makes sense,” Yuuri says, but then the implication of Victor’s words dawns on him. “Wait, no it doesn’t! When did I become your second-in-command?” he exclaims.

“When you fought five opponents at once!” Victor says. “And you won!”

“Okay, but— That was— You were— And they retreated, anyway— You can’t just—“ Yuuri looks helplessly at Yakov. “Don’t you have anything to say about this?”

“Hmm. I’ve never seen Vitya more focused in a battle than he is with you at his side,” Yakov says. “I am still not entirely persuaded about this ‘amnesia’ business, but I will admit that the two of you make a formidable pair.”

“Oh… If… If that’s the case…”

Can he really defend Victor despite his weak magic? Can Victor really focus better with Yuuri there? It seems impossible, and yet…

“I’ll do it,” Yuuri says firmly. “I’ll be your second-in-command, Victor.”

Victor moves closer to him, and for a second, Yuuri thinks he’s going to sling an arm around his shoulder again. 

Instead, Victor steps behind him, draping both arms loosely around his neck.

“Thank you,” he murmurs warmly.

Gods, can Victor feel his heart beating? Yuuri thinks he probably can; his hands are _right there._

But it’s a nice feeling, one he never wants to forget, and he understands, now, why his heart pounds every time Victor smiles—it’s happiness.

Unfortunately, Victor has to pull away as soon as the khan enters the room.

“Hello,” Victor greets him immediately. “You must be the khan, er, that is…”

“Ciao ciao!” the khan greets in return. “That’s right; I’m one of the khans here—the East Khan. My name is Celestino!” he says jovially.

“Celestino, of course! A pleasure to meet you,” Victor says smoothly, as if he hadn’t just forgotten an important leader’s name.

“I apologize for the troubles at the border, Prince Victor. You’re welcome in Regna Ferox,” Celestino continues.

“Thank you, but I’m sure we can put those troubles behind us,” Victor says with a thin smile. “Now tell me, is it true that bandits posing as Ylisseans?”

“That’s right. We found documents proving as much on the corpse of one of their captains,” Celestino explains as Victor grimaces. “Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between your kingdom and ours.”

“Damn them!” Victor exclaims, but he freezes as soon as he realizes what he’s said. He laughs loudly. “Ah, what I meant to say was—“

Celestino waves his hand dismissively.

“Ha! Damn them and damn delicacy! We speak plainly here in Ferox,” he says.

“Okay, if that’s how it is,” Victor says cheerfully, “then tell your damn border guards to open their damn eyes once in a while!”

“Ha ha! I like you already!” Celestino laughs before growing serious. “I know why you have come, Prince. But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse.”

Victor’s face slips into a carefully neutral expression.

“Oh? And why is that?” he asks politely.

“I don’t have the authority,” Celestino replies.

“You don’t have…? _Oh._ ” Victor says, realization dawning in his eyes. “You’re the _other_ khan.”

“Now, now, there’s no need to say it like that!” Celestino insists. “The East and West khan hold a tournament every few years, and Min-so just happened to one-up me last time. That means she has total sovereignty over both kingdoms at the moment, but it’s only for the moment!”

“Unfortunately, ‘the moment’ happens to be when we need aid,” Victor mutters.

“About that,” Celestino says. “The next tournament is coming up, and I’m in need of champions.”

“Champions…?” Victor repeats.

“The captain of my border guard mentioned that your Shepherds are pretty good,” Celestino continues. “You should consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament. If you win and I become the ruling khan, I’ll grant your alliance.”

Victor looks down in thought for several seconds before looking back to Celestino.

“And it wouldn’t be out of place for Ylisseans to join in your traditions?” he asks.

“Ha! Not at all!” Celestino laughs. “The khans themselves never fight—otherwise there would be no end to the blood feuds, and khans would be dying left and right! We don’t involve comrades or kin for the same reason. All of our champions are foreigners. We’ve never had royalty before, though!” he says, sounding excited. “But of course, it’s your choice to make.”

“It really isn’t.” Victor says, grimacing. “My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia’s attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen. If fighting for you is the quickest way to forge an alliance, then we have no choice. We’ll take up our arms for you, Celestino.”

“Great!” Celestino says enthusiastically. “I like you, Prince Victor! I do hope you survive the tournament!” he continues, slapping Victor on the back.

(Yuuri winces in sympathy.)

“Come, I’ll show you where the tournament will be held next week! But be careful! I’ve heard Min-so has an incredibly good swordsman this year!” Celestino chatters as he guides them down a hallway.

“Not as good as the Prince of Yliise,” Victor responds confidently.

* * *

In the week leading up to the tournament, the Shepherds are generously housed at the capitol, given all the food and clothing they could want, and allowed free reign to roam and practice as they please. It might have been nice, were it not for the fact there was a lot at stake for them in the tournament.

Victor and Yuuri have spent practically all of their time together since they arrived. A necessity, Yuuri supposes, since Victor seems truly set on having Yuuri as his second-in-command. And indeed, most of their time has been spent talking strategy, with the occasional break to practice with the other Shepherds.

And seeing Victor behave around the others, you’d think he was confident. Arrogant, even. But when he and Yuuri are alone, the tiniest cracks appear in the façade, and Yuuri catches glimpses of the fear that lurks underneath.

Yuuri, too, is fearful. Not that Victor will lose, because Yuuri has complete faith that he won’t, but that he himself will fail. That he’ll let Victor down.

“It’s just that I’m weak, Victor. You can take down three opponents in the time it takes me to take one. What if I’m not good enough for this?” he asks one night when they’ve stayed up late discussing Victor’s planned tactics.

It’s dark, with only a few candles to light their work area, so Yuuri can hardly see Victor’s expression. But when he speaks, his voice is soft.

“Nobody thinks you’re weak,” he says, firm in his convictions despite his gentle tone. “Have you heard a single person say that?”

“No,” Yuuri admits. “The Shepherds treat me as their equal. They have since the day I joined.”

“Yes,” Victor agrees. “And me? Have I ever suggested that you were any less than amazing?”

Side-by-side, he and Yuuri are close enough that their arms brush against each other. It’s amazing to Yuuri how comforting Victor’s presence has become in such a short time. And, indeed, in that time, Victor has never made Yuuri feel weak at all. 

But…

“Even if you say that, I know you’re worried,” Yuuri argues. “You smile at everyone and say we can’t fail, but Victor, I can tell that it’s bothering you!”

Victor is silent for a moment, then he sighs.

“I should have hidden it better,” he says quietly. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“No!” Yuuri protests immediately. “You don’t have to put on a mask for me, Victor! I only want you to be yourself!”

Victor stares at him, probably as surprised by Yuuri’s outburst as he is. But then his eyes soften.

“Is that so?” he murmurs.

“Yes,” Yuuri says. “We’re… close, aren’t we?” he asks, flushing slightly. “You trust me in battle, or so you’ve said… You… You can trust me like this, too.”

Victor falls silent again, and Yuuri hopes he hasn’t said too much. He’s about to beg Victor to forget everything he’s just said when the prince speaks up again.

“Okay,” Victor says softly. “I’ll tell you the truth, Yuuri. I _am_ afraid. Afraid for the people of Ylisse. If the alliance falls through, they’re the ones who will suffer most.”

“Oh, Victor…” Yuuri whispers.

Yuuri doesn’t know how he could possibly help. What comfort is there when the lives of thousands rest on your shoulders?

“You’re a good prince,” he eventually says, linking their arms together. “And when we win the tournament, everyone in Ylisse will know what you’ve done for their sake.”

Victor hums in agreement and rests his head on Yuuri’s shoulder.

* * *

The tournament finally comes. Yuuri doesn’t feel ready, but then, he’s sure he never would.

Victor gives everyone their orders before he returns to Yuuri’s side.

“Take these Elblizzards,” he says handing Yuuri a couple of new tomes. “The opposing mages have Elthunder. I want things to be even.”

“Alright. You don’t need them?” Yuuri asks, noticing that Victor doesn’t have any tomes of his own on him.

Victor shakes his head.

“I’ll use Falchion. I don’t want to worry about my tomes breaking in the middle of combat,” he says.

Victor had explained to Yuuri about his divine, unbreakable dragon-slaying blade before, and admittedly, it sounded superior to any tome Yuuri knew of. Still, he knows that Victor much prefers magic, and he doesn’t like Victor’s resigned expression as he brushes his hand over the hilt of his sword.

“Uh, Vitya? Take a look at the West Khan’s swordsman, will you?” Mila interrupts.

Victor and Yuuri both turn their eyes to the opponent’s side. There in the center is a familiar masked figure.

“Marth!” Victor calls. “Hey, Marth! Good to see you again! Can I ask a quick question before we begin?”

“Draw your damned sword, already!” Marth yells back. “It’s time to see which one of us is stronger!”

“Ha, I guess that’s a no,” Victor says, not appearing too upset about the rejection. “Yuuri, watch my back while I fight Marth, okay?”

“Of course,” Yuuri replies. 

The Shepherds and the West khan’s champions take their places, then, and the battle begins.

Victor doesn’t even have to move, because Marth runs over immediately.

“You look weak like this,” Marth says, sneering in contempt. “Let’s see if you can even match me.”

He unsheathes his sword, and Victor gasps.

“That… Where did you get that?” he asks in disbelief. “There’s no way…”

“Shut up and draw your weapon!” Marth growls.

Victor finally does, and the two swordsmen begin to trade blows. Yuuri can hardly believe it, but the two seem to be equally matched. It’s almost as if Marth can tell what Victor is going to do before he does it.

“You’re good,” Victor compliments through gritted teeth as their blades lock. “Tell me, who taught you to fight like that?”

The question seems to enrage Marth, and he swings again with even greater force.

“My father!” he yells, slashing at Victor. But his anger lowers his accuracy, and Victor is able to dodge.

“And who’s your father?” Victor asks, swinging his sword upward.

“I’ve done enough talking! Shut up and fight already!” Marth parries.

Yuuri misses the next several minutes of Victor’s battle because he has to engage a couple of the opposing fighters that approach him. Fortunately, they have little resistance to magic, and a few hits from Elblizzard bring them down.

By the time he returns his attention to Victor and Marth, the two have their swords locked in another stalemate.

“Admit that I’m the better swordsmen, and I’ll surrender,” Marth says in a low voice.

“What?” Victor gasps in surprise. “Why would you…?”

“Don’t be stupid. Ylisse needs aid. I’m Ylissean, you numskull; what the hell do you think my terms for fighting were?” Marth growls. “But then you showed up and fucked up everything. How do you think it will look if the exalt…’s heir loses? Admit defeat to me and I’ll pretend you fucking won, okay?”

“Hmm…” Victor appears to be thinking, but he does not lower his blade. Marth does not lower his blade either, but he smirks as if he’s confident in what Victor will do.

“Sorry, but you’re not better than me!” Victor finally says, grinning broadly. “You haven’t landed a single blow, either!”

He draws his sword back, holding it in a protective stance. A good choice, considering Marth’s next actions.

“Fucking gods! You’re a piece of shit!” Marth shouts furiously, jabbing his sword forward in frustration, though again it misses Victor.

And, truthfully, Yuuri would have agreed if Victor had been fighting alone. The two fighters are clearly evenly matched; who comes out on top would probably fall to luck. It would be irresponsible to take such a chance when lives are at stake.

But Victor is not fighting alone, even if Marth hasn’t realized it yet.

The icy blast strikes Marth from the side, surprising him enough that Victor can get a few hits in. Marth raises his sword again, but another blast of magic forces him to flinch back. With no defense, Victor is able to finally disarm him.

“Shit,” Marth hisses. “Why the fuck am I surprised?” His head turns towards Yuuri, but with the mask obscuring his eyes, his expression is unreadable.

“Yuuri! That was so amazing!” Victor exclaims, running over and pulling Yuuri into an embrace. “You sure took your time, but that’s okay! I knew you’d pull through for me!"

Victor nuzzles his head against him, and Yuuri can’t even bring himself to care that others are watching; his hands clutch the back of Victor’s coat as he presses himself closer. 

They won. Ylisse will get aid. Victor will be okay.

* * *

“Congratulations, Prince Victor! That was the best tournament I’ve seen in years, and not just because I won this time!” Celestino praises after the winners have been officially announced. “You’ve certainly earned your alliance. I’ll provide the soldiers you need.”

“Thank you, Celestino!” Victor says happily, much more relaxed now that the alliance has been secured.

“Come, my new friends! Tonight, we feast!” Celestino says joyously. Most of the Shepherds follow him out, but before Victor, Yuuri, and Mila can leave (along with Yakov trailing them), a woman enters.

“Hmph. Any excuse for a party and Celestino jumps on it,” she mutters, giving Victor a piercing look as she speaks.

“Ah! Yes, indeed!” Victor agrees. “Er, dear lady, have we met before?”

“You do not recognize the khan you so rudely removed from power?” she asks coolly.

“Oh, Min-so! Your Grace!” Victor exclaims. “Forgive me; with all the excitement I never got to greet you properly!”

“Excitement, indeed. That was quite the battle you fought. I thought for sure that I had picked the stronger man,” Min-so says.

“Are you talking about Marth?” Victor asks curiously. “What do you know about him?”

“Frightfully little,” Min-so replies. “He showed up claiming to be an Ylissean sellsword. He demanded Feroxi aid to Ylisse if he won. Imagine my surprise when Ylissean royalty shows up asking Celestino for the same thing.” She narrows her eyes. “Thus, I take it you did not send him.”

“We did not,” Victor agrees.

“Well, he’s gone now, anyway. Up and fled the moment the tournament ended.”

“That’s a shame. I wanted to talk to him.” Victor sighs. “He’s great with a sword, and he’s so cool when he’s not yelling.”

“Don’t tell me you’re his fan now, Vitya,” Mila teases. “What will Yuuri think?”

“Yuuri knows he’s my favorite,” Victor says, resting his elbow casually on Yuuri’s shoulder. “We’re each other’s favorites! Right, Yuuri?”

“I don’t know, Victor. I’m growing really fond of Celestino. Maybe he’s my new favorite,” Yuuri says drily, but he leans into Victor’s touch and smiles.

“Ahh, how could you be so mean to your poor commander?” Victor asks, sighing as he places a hand over his heart. The grin tugging at his lips ruins the overall effect, though.

Yakov interrupts them with a cough.

“As enlightening as this conversation has been, we should be getting on our way,” he says. “We must prepare to leave in the morning. The exalt will want news of the alliance at once.”

“You’re right.” Victor nods, keeping his arm on Yuuri. “We’ll eat, and then we’ll prepare.”

“Wait,” Min-so says, holding up her hand to pause them. “Before you go, I have a little present for you.”

A dark-haired man enters behind her, a neutral expression on his face.

“This is Seung-gil, my former champion,” Min-so informs them. “Not much for talking, mind you, but peerless with the sword. As good as Marth, in my mind. In fact, I have no idea how Marth beat him.”

“Really, Marth beat this guy? But he looks so strong!” Mila exclaims, stepping forward curiously. “Hmm, and pretty good-looking, too.”

“Do _not._ ” Seung-gil snaps.

“Ah, yes, Seung-gil has never been much for, er… flattery, shall we say,” Min-so says, a small smile gracing her features. “Nevertheless, he is capable. Perhaps he even has the makings of a khan. Consider him West Ferox’s contribution to the Ylissean cause.”

“Sure,” Victor agrees. “Seung-gil, you have any objections?”

“She gives orders. I stab people. I think our orders are clear,” Seung-gil says.

“… Well, okay! Welcome aboard, Seung-gil!” Victor says cheerfully.

* * *

They make it back to Ylisstol in good time, though, unfortunately, they have to fight several hordes of Risen along the way.

Most of the Shepherds head to the garrison as soon as they get back, but Victor, Mila, and Yakov have to meet with Lilia. And because Victor wants him to, Yuuri attends, too.

If Lilia finds his presence out of place, she doesn’t comment on it, instead focusing all of her attention on Victor’s report.

“I see, so Regna Ferox has definitely pledged their support to Ylisse.” Lilia nods approvingly. “Good work, Victor. I knew sending you was the right choice.”

“Thank you, grandmother,” Victor says politely.

“Yes… Unfortunately, in your absence I’m afraid more trouble has occurred,” Lilia continues. “Just this morning, Plegian soldiers invaded our southwest border. They attacked a village in Themis and abducted the duke’s daughter.”

Mila gasps.

“But that’s Sara! Vitya, we have to do something!” she exclaims in horror.

“There’s more. King Gangrel of Plegia claims that Lady Sara invaded _his_ country. He demands we pay reparation for the insult,” Lilia says, sneering at the idea.

“We aren’t going to believe someone who claims the title of ‘mad king,’ are we?” Mila asks angrily.

“But we can’t give him the war he wants,” Victor says desperately. “If we do, we lose no matter what happens! The last war nearly ruined the halidom!”

“I have not forgotten,” Lilia says calmly. “We must keep out wits about us. I will offer parley with King Gangrel.”

“Grandmother, you can’t!” Mila protests. “He can’t be trusted to act in good faith!”

“He can’t, but war isn’t an option, and we can’t leave Sara to die,” Victor says bitterly.

“Well said, Victor,” Lilia tells him. “If that is all, I must prepare to leave. I will depart at dawn.”

“Wait!” Victor exclaims. “Grandmother, I will come with you. If it’s a trap, I will fight in your defense.”

“I’m coming, too!” Mila insists. “I need to be there for you, _and_ for Sara.”

Lilia says nothing for a moment, merely gazes at her grandchildren searchingly. Eventually, she nods.

“As you wish. Your strength will be mine.”


	7. Chapter 5: The Exalt and the King

The border between Ylisse and Plegia is rocky and filled with cliffs, making it a difficult terrain to navigate. When they finally make it to the Plegian king, he and his guards have already stationed themselves at the top of one of the rocky formations. The way they tower above the Ylisseans sends a clear message—“We’re more powerful than you.”

“What’s this, then? The exalt in all her radiance? I fear I must shield my eyes!” Gangrel cackles as Lilia approaches.

“King Gangrel, I’ve come for the truth of the unfortunate incident between us,” Lilia speaks, clear and confident.

“The truth? I can give you the truth,” a dark-haired woman next to Gangrel says, her voice derisive in its sugary sweetness.

“Perhaps milady might first share her name?” Lilia suggests, her words scathingly polite.

“You may call me Aversa,” the woman replies. The smile she gives is not kind.

“Very well, Aversa,” Lilia acknowledges. “Is Lady Sara unharmed?”

“Who?” Gangrel asks, his brow furrowing. “Oh, you mean the brat.”

One of the brigands behind him steps forward, pushing his captive along. Sara, with her hands and feet bound, doesn’t stop struggling, but nor can she break free.

“Sara!” Mila shouts. “Sara, are you okay?”

“Mila!” Sara calls back. “Yes, but the dastards stole my weapons! The nerve! Why, if my feet were free, I’d—“

The brigand holding her places a hand over her mouth, smothering whatever else she intended to say.

“This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent,” Aversa tells them. “And what’s more, she wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home.”

The brigand lets out a yelp, and then Sara is shouting again.

“Lies! You speak nothing but lies, hag! You wretched crone!”

“You see? No manners at all,” Aversa continues. “Such a nasty little bird simply had to be caged.”

“Such a violent temper speaks to her guilt. This will call for a weighty punishment,” Gangrel says. “And if she were to later confess being an Ylissean spy? My goodness! It would take an act of _considerable_ good faith to repair our relations!” he continues mockingly.

“I have done nothing wrong!” Sara protests. “They are the ones who invaded Ylisse! They razed an entire village, and when I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border. Let the plundered shops and charred homes of that village serve as my proof!”

“That would only prove Ylisse has a bandit problem— something I hear of late!” Gangrel says snidely. “But indeed, tonight I shall weep salty tears into my pillow for your dead villagers.”

“You little—“ Sara starts.

“I’d like to take an axe and—“ Mila begins.

“How dare you—“ Victor shouts.

Their voices ring out at the same time, but Lilia raises a hand to stop them.

“Peace. I believe Lady Sara. King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once,” she says sternly. “You and I can sort out these affairs without resorting to such immature tactics as _taking hostages,_ ” she chastises.

“Without so much as an apology? Why should I even bother with parley?” Gangrel continues, growing annoyed. “I’m within my rights to have her head this instant and be home in time for supper!”

“You black-hearted devil!” Mila yells.

Gangrel merely smirks.

“Control your dog, my dear, before she gets someone hurt,” he tells Lilia.

Mila lets out a frustrated growl, but falls silent.

“Now then, Your Graceliness,” Gangrel continues with sarcastic cheer. “Perhaps we can arrange a trade? You give me the Fire Emblem, and I return Sally here—“

“It’s Sara!” Sara interrupts.

“—in one piece,” Gangrel continues, ignoring his hostage.

Lilia narrows her eyes.

“You have the gall to ask for Ylisse’s royal treasure?” she asks severely. “Why?”

“Because I know the legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one’s wishes realized!” Gangrel cackles. “I have desired it for years! _Years!_ And yet my birthday comes and goes every year, and nothing from Ylisse.”

“The Emblem’s power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: to save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need,” Lilia says. “Would you claim a more noble wish?”

“I want what every Plegian wants—a grisly end for every last Ylissean! What could be more noble than that?” Gangrel laughs again, even more harshly than before.

“Is that so?” Lilia’s voice is laced with ice.

“Surely you have not forgotten what the last exalt did to my people?” Gangrel continues. Your son named us heathens! His ‘crusade’ across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin!”

“I have never denied my son’s wrongdoings!” Lilia insists. “But I swore that Ylisse would never go down that path again. Ours is now a realm of peace.”

“Yours is now a haven of hypocrisy! Now give me the Fire Emblem!” Gangrel demands.

“No! I’d rather die than let these dastards use me as a bargaining chip!” Sara shouts.

“Ugh… Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk,” Gangrel drawls. “It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!”

Several brigands run forward, their weapons already aimed at Lilia, but a blast of magic stops them in their tracks as they sink to the ground in pain.

“Stay back!” Victor shouts. “Or you’ll suffer the same fate!”

“Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one... A big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry.” Gangrel grins, cackling with glee.

The sky above them darkens, and Yuuri looks up to see several wyvern riders looming over them. On the ground, dark mages and myrmidons spill out from their previous hiding places.

“It was a trap…” Yuuri realizes with horror.

“Of course it was,” Victor agrees dejectedly. “They’ve wanted a war for so long, and now they have it. They’ll pin it on us, too, even though technically it was their declaration…”

“Shit, and Sara’s still stuck up there,” Mila points out. “Gods, they’ll try to kill her!”

“Not while I still draw breath!” Michele declares, drawing his lance.

“Or I!” Mila agrees. “Michele, team up with me. We’re getting your sister back immediately.”

The rest of the Shepherds fall take their own positions. Emil rides ahead of Mila and Michele on his horse, clearing their path of as many enemies as he can. Phichit teams up with Seung-gil, and the two swordsmen go after the dark mages. Yakov rushes to hold off the myrmidons, while Chris hovers around him and picks off enemies with his arrows.

And Victor, for once, has not actually given them orders. Rather, he’s still staring at the rocks Gangrel and Aversa disappeared from.

“Victor, what do you want me to do?” Yuuri asks worriedly. Usually, Victor engages an opponent and Yuuri follows his lead. This new behavior is, frankly, terrifying, and Yuuri doesn’t know what to do.

More terrifying is the way Victor looks at him with a disoriented expression, as if he doesn’t know the answer.

“What... What do you think we should do?” he asks, blinking dazedly.

_’WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME???’_ Yuuri wants to scream. Everything is going wrong, and as good as the Shepherds are, it’s surely impossible for them to win without Victor’s guidance. So, all things considered, now is a _terrible_ time for Victor to be asking Yuuri anything.

His eyes shift around the battlefield, and he tries to imagine what Victor would normally do in this situation. The Shepherds have most of the ground units covered, but the wyvern riders… Yes, the wyvern riders are the biggest threat.

“We need to take out their fliers,” Yuuri says, sounding more confident than he feels. Ice magic is particularly effective against flying units, so between the two of them, they shouldn’t have much trouble… In theory.

“Right. Fliers. Okay,” Victor mumbles. “Let’s go.”

But there’s something wrong. Victor is still distracted.

“Wait!” Yuuri calls before Victor can walk off. “Victor, you’re not… You’re not at your best right now…” he says hesitantly.

“I know,” Victor says quietly. “But what am I supposed to do? This is the last thing I ever wanted, but we have no choice but to fight.”

“Let me take the lead!” Yuuri insists. “You’re always the one doing most of the fighting. My magic is less powerful, but I can still fight for you, Victor. Just back me up for once!”

The moment he’s said it, Yuuri’s hands fly to his mouth in horror. How could he speak so impertinently to his commander? Sure, Victor had never let rank affect their personal relationship, but now they’re on a battlefield, and Victor is the leader, and, oh gods, is this insubordination?

But Victor isn’t looking at him with anger. On the contrary, he seems grateful.

“Okay,” Victor agrees. “I’ll support you, Yuuri.”

And despite the reversal of their usual roles, they quickly fall into an easy rhythm, the same as they always have.

* * *

When the battle is over, the Shepherds regroup, this time with Sara in tow.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble!” she apologizes. “I should have known those rotten Plegians were planning something, but I couldn’t just stand by while they destroyed an entire village!”

“Sara, it wasn’t your fault!” Mila insists, hugging her tightly. “We’re just happy you’re safe!” 

“Sara! They… They didn’t injure you, did they?” Michele asks. “I shouldn’t have left you. I know you can fight. This never would have happened if you weren’t alone.”

“Oh, Mickey!” Sara cries. “I’m sorry I said all those mean things to you! But I saw the way you fought today, and it only confirmed what I already knew! We fight better when we’re apart!”

“B-But Sara, I—“ Michele begins to protest.

“Let’s find new partners, Mickey! We’ll be the best knights in Ylisse, on our own,” Sara insists.

“I’ll back you up on this, Sara,” Mila says, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Even though you’re already the best knight in Ylisse in my eyes.”

The two women smile at each other, and Yuuri breathes a sigh of relief. Now that the adrenaline of battle has left him, he just wants to curl up in a ball and recover from the ordeal. He leans into Victor beside him, and Victor responds but wrapping an arm around him.

Alas, they cannot yet rest. 

“The Mad King fled as soon as the battle began,” Victor explains when he meets up with Lilia. “I suspect he’s rallying his forces, if he hasn’t mobilized them already.”

“Indeed,” Yakov agrees.” I suggest we hurry back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy,”

“Yes. War is upon us,” Lilia says. “We must prepare for it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I forgot how irritating Gangrel is. I actually really like him as a character, but... Shoot, he's a jerk...
> 
> Anyway, I'm planning for the next chapters to be "Support" chapters because it seems plausible that quite a bit of time could pass between Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 in the game, so I figured it would be a good time to add scenes not in the original game. Now, the way I'm doing Supports isn't so much "3 conversations and then marriage" like the game. It's more like... extra chapters about other characters interacting, with Yuuri not necessarily being there. (unless he's part of the Support, of course). 
> 
> Now, this means that I'll be writing some unique scenes, which should be really fun! But also, it means it might take me a while to write, because I can't just rely on the original script, haha...


	8. Support: Chris & Victor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... I know it's been over a month since I last updated, but... I can explain... College is kind of kicking my ass right now... But, hey, I'm graduating in 2 weeks, so... just gotta pull through :)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Victor sighs as he pretends to look over the summary reports his grandmother had ordered delivered to him.

How many soldiers? How much money? What kind of weapons? Everything blurs together in his mind, and even though he understands the importance, he just can’t bring himself to focus.

It might help if Yuuri were here. Yuuri always makes him feel better. With Yuuri, he never has to pretend he knows what he’s doing, never has to pretend that he’s ready for the path of war they’re about to tread.

But he can’t talk to Yuuri right now, because Yuuri is in town with some of the other Shepherds, hopefully enjoying himself. And this situation is, technically, Victor’s fault, because when he told the Shepherds they should head out to a tavern for a spot of fun (the atmosphere may be heavy, but he needs them to smile, or else he’s afraid _he_ won’t be able to), he had also refused to go himself, citing the need to work. And when Yuuri had asked “Shouldn’t I stay here and help you?” Victor had turned him down, even though he had desperately wanted to agree. But the strength of the Shepherds comes from the bonds between the members, and how can Yuuri bond with them if Victor is hogging him to himself?

At least, that’s what Victor had thought at the time, but now, in his Yuuri-less room, he wishes that he had at least gone with the others. 

Alas, all Victor has at the moment is paperwork and his thoughts. And he doesn’t like it at all.

So when he hears a knock at his door, Victor practically leaps out of his chair, even though it’s probably just someone bringing him more reports.

He’s surprised when he opens the door and sees Chris standing there (papers in hand, oh, so it is reports).

“Can I come in?” Chris asks with a wink.

“Of course,” Victor agrees, stepping aside.

Chris dumps the reports haphazardly onto Victor’s desk, then immediately makes himself at home on Victor’s bed.

“You’ve been scarce lately,” he complains. “I had to resort to running errands just to find you.”

“Sorry.” Victor murmurs. “Not exactly a glamorous job for the Duke of Rosanne, is it?”

“ _Former_ Duke of Rosanne,” Chris reminds him.

“Ah. Right.” Victor mutters. “Your people are calling you a traitor now, or so I’ve heard.”

“Better they live betrayed than die out of loyalty to me,” Chris says calmly.

And Victor can respect that. Chris had done what he needed to to protect his people. Victor would like to say he would do the same thing in his situation, except… The thought of his people cursing his name sickens him, and he’s not sure he could ever abandon them, even if it would save their lives. 

He certainly doesn’t say that.

“It’s hard to believe that a lone conqueror could sweep over the whole of Valm so quickly,” Victor says darkly.

“It’s a complete mess,” Chris says with a sigh. “Some days I’m even glad to be away from it.”

“You know you’re always welcome in Ylisse,” Victor tells him.

Chris looks up at him then, and his expression shifts.

“You know, I haven’t _thanked_ you,” he purrs, his eyes half-lidded. 

Victor stiffens, and he doesn’t know why. Years ago, in their youth, he and Chris had explored each other’s bodies more than once. Now that they’re both adults, they’re still just as attractive, and, really, they _could_ do it again. Chris is right here, willing, and it’s not like Victor is going to get much work done without Yuuri, anyway.

But he can’t.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Victor says quickly, grabbing one of the reports Chris had brought him and looking down at it. It’s not a very subtle rejection, but Chris has seen teenage Victor act a lot less subtly before.

Fortunately, Chris doesn’t take offense, just falls back into the pillows and relaxes.

“I thought it might go like that,” he says. “Now that you’ve got your eyes on someone.”

An unwanted flush rises to Victor’s cheeks.

“Yes,” he admits, because there’s no point in lying about his feelings for Yuuri. Indeed, if it were Yuuri on that bed looking at him like Chris had, Victor wouldn’t have even thought about hesitating.

“Good for you.” Chris chuckles. “Yuuri’s sweet.”

“Right?” Victor sighs adoringly. “He’s amazing. I don’t know how I ever managed without him.”

Chris gazes at him intensely for a moment, searching Victor’s face for something. 

“He’s good for you,” he says at last. “You need someone who’ll stay by your side.”

The intensity of the situation last for all of two seconds before Chris diffuses it, offering Victor a smile. He closes his eyes then, rolling onto his side and pressing his face into the pillows.

“Chriiiiiis,” Victor whines. “You aren’t really going to take a nap, are you? Who’s going to help me with all this paperwork?”

“Yuuri?” Chris suggests. “Seems like the sort of thing a second-in-command would do,” he continues languidly, causing Victor to let out another whine.

“If you’re going to be mean, you can sleep on the floor,” Victor says with a pout.

Chris laughs, shifting into a sitting position as he blinks his eyes open.

“Okay, okay,” he says, waving his hands in placation. “What have you got there? Educate me,” he suggests teasingly.

Victor grabs the report he had been reading before Chris’s entrance. His eyes scan across it, but though he knows he was just looking at it, none of the words seem familiar to him. He sighs.

“I’ll start from the beginning of this one,” he says dejectedly.

But even though they work for hours, Victor finds that it isn’t quite as bad as before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you can see if you're familiar with the game, Chris gets Virion's sad backstory. But Chris is also good friends with Victor (although they haven't seen each other in person for ages), so in a way, it could be worse. At least they get to reunite, even if the circumstances are pretty terrible.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, please let me know if you spot any errors, and I'll try to fix them if I can! (But if the error is plot-related, it's probably just going to have to stay)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [of sacred blood](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10708905) by [notaletotell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notaletotell/pseuds/notaletotell)




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